Rove's next swing state: Oregon

By ALEXANDER BURNS

08/27/2012 09:32 AM EDT

Republican super-strategist Karl Rove has his eye on an unlikely state for the GOP to target in future presidential elections: Oregon.

At POLITICO's Playbook Breakfast in Tampa Monday, the former White House aide-turned-American Crossroads adviser said both Wisconsin and Michigan could potentially flip to Mitt Romney's column this year. Asked if there's a third state on his wish list — not necessarily for 2012, but for future elections — here's what Rove said, via Jennifer Haberkorn:

Oregon, which mystifies me. Oregon, as you may recall, was a battleground in 2000 and this time around there is a little bit of evidence that Obama has some difficulty there.

I think part of it is that you do have this sort of weird element … centered around Portland that looks at Obama as a dangerous reactionary. But you also have something going out there, sort of this libertarian, Western, iconoclastic I’m-not-going-to-be-put-in-a-box. But something’s going on in Oregon. They’ve got a 30-30 statehouse. And Republicans came within 15,000 votes of winning the governorship and yet it's the most unchurched state in the union. So it’s a weird conglomeration. Oregon might be next.